Five things to watch: Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons

November 8, 2013

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

1of9

Five things to watch: Seattle Seahawks (8-1) at Atlanta Falcons (2-6)Sunday, Nov. 10 | 10 a.m. PST | Georgia Dome, Atlanta | TV: Fox
The Seahawks remain the best team in the NFC with a record of 8-1, and still are many analysts' favorite to represent the conference in the Super Bowl. But here in Week 10 of the NFL season, they seem to be right on the brink. Seattle recently has had a knack for playing down to the competition. A narrow win over the Titans on Oct. 13 raised some eyebrows, yet Seattle's subpar performances the past two weeks against supposedly inferior teams -- the Rams and the Buccaneers -- have Seahawks fans very worried about their team's chances down the stretch.
This Sunday, the Hawks travel to Atlanta for a rematch with the Falcons. Still fresh on the Seahawks' minds is Seattle's heartbreaking loss at the Georgia Dome in last season's divisional playoffs, when the Hawks surged from 20 points down to take a narrow lead with 34 seconds to go -- only to have their NFC Championship Game hopes dashed by a last-second field goal. Since then, the Seahawks have continued to soar while the Falcons have taken a turn for the worse. Atlanta is 2-6 and comes into Sunday's game on a two-game losing streak; their only wins this season have come against lowly St. Louis and Tampa Bay.
For Seattle, Sunday's matchup isn't a gimme by any means. In fact, it could easily be the seemingly inevitable game in which the Seahawks' recent struggles and mistakes finally catch up to them. While the Hawks are favored by most Las Vegas bookies to win by five points, many Seattle fans see the Falcons game as a pick-'em -- with these Seahawks, who knows what will happen anymore. Regardless, here are our five key things to watch in Sunday's game in Atlanta.

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

1of9

Five things to watch: Seattle Seahawks (8-1) at Atlanta Falcons (2-6)Sunday, Nov. 10 | 10 a.m. PST | Georgia Dome, Atlanta | TV: Fox
The Seahawks remain the best team in the NFC with a record of 8-1, and still are many analysts' favorite to represent the conference in the Super Bowl. But here in Week 10 of the NFL season, they seem to be right on the brink. Seattle recently has had a knack for playing down to the competition. A narrow win over the Titans on Oct. 13 raised some eyebrows, yet Seattle's subpar performances the past two weeks against supposedly inferior teams -- the Rams and the Buccaneers -- have Seahawks fans very worried about their team's chances down the stretch.
This Sunday, the Hawks travel to Atlanta for a rematch with the Falcons. Still fresh on the Seahawks' minds is Seattle's heartbreaking loss at the Georgia Dome in last season's divisional playoffs, when the Hawks surged from 20 points down to take a narrow lead with 34 seconds to go -- only to have their NFC Championship Game hopes dashed by a last-second field goal. Since then, the Seahawks have continued to soar while the Falcons have taken a turn for the worse. Atlanta is 2-6 and comes into Sunday's game on a two-game losing streak; their only wins this season have come against lowly St. Louis and Tampa Bay.
For Seattle, Sunday's matchup isn't a gimme by any means. In fact, it could easily be the seemingly inevitable game in which the Seahawks' recent struggles and mistakes finally catch up to them. While the Hawks are favored by most Las Vegas bookies to win by five points, many Seattle fans see the Falcons game as a pick-'em -- with these Seahawks, who knows what will happen anymore. Regardless, here are our five key things to watch in Sunday's game in Atlanta.